Lucia: Brandon, your mother controls the company trust fund... she told me she owned the city police and the local courts.
Brandon: She owns nothing! I am the primary shareholder of Vance Enterprises! My father left sixty percent of the voting stock directly to me before he passed!
Lucia: But... she had documents with your official seal...
Brandon: She forged them, Lucia! She took advantage of my overseas travel and my lack of communication while I was in remote business meetings!
A tall man in a navy blue manager's uniform rushed over from the front desk, his face pale with panic as he noticed the scene in the middle of the lobby.
Hotel Manager: Mr. Vance! Is this staff member bothering you? I am so sorry! Lucia, what are you doing lingering around the VIP guests? Return to the service elevator immediately!
Brandon: Touch her or speak to her like that again, and I will buy this hotel by midnight and fire you personally.
Hotel Manager: I... I beg your pardon, sir?
Brandon: This woman is my wife. Mrs. Lucia Vance. She is the future mother of the Vance family heir.
Hotel Manager: Your... your wife? But she was hired through an emergency temp agency three months ago! She listed herself as homeless!
Brandon: Get her coat right now. Clock her out, pay her double for every hour she worked, and clear out the presidential suite immediately.
Hotel Manager: Right away, Mr. Vance! Right away! I am deeply sorry for the misunderstanding!
The manager bowed repeatedly, practically running toward the back offices to execute the orders.
Brandon turned back to Lucia, gently reaching down to take her ice-cold, calloused hands into his warm palms.
Brandon: Lucia, look at me. Look into my eyes.
Lucia lifted her head slowly, her lip trembling as she looked at her husband's tear-filled eyes.
Brandon: I never stopped loving you. Not for a single second. The day I came back home to our apartment and found it empty with all your clothes gone... I thought my heart stopped beating.
Lucia: She made me pack everything in trash bags, Brandon. She had two men stand over me while I took off my wedding ring and laid it on the kitchen counter.
Brandon: I found that ring... I've been wearing it on a chain around my neck under my shirt every single day since.
Brandon pulled open the collar of his suit jacket and dark dress shirt, pulling out a delicate silver chain holding Lucia's gold diamond wedding band.
Lucia gasped, covering her mouth with her trembling hand as fresh tears flowed down her cheeks.
Lucia: You... you kept it?
Brandon: I swore I would never take this chain off until I found you and put it back where it belongs.
He unclasped the chain with shaking fingers, sliding the small gold band gently onto Lucia's ring finger, fitting it back into place.
Brandon: You are my wife, Lucia. Not a maid, not a charity case, and certainly not someone my mother can toss aside like trash.
Lucia: What are we going to do about your mother, Brandon? She's hosting the annual company charity gala at the main mansion tonight.
Brandon: Then that is exactly where we are going.